Falsehoods and Twists of Truth

PeaceMonger deconstructs Steve Friess’ article on JWPF’s 10th anniversary and exposes at least eleven instances of outright falsehoods and twisted truths in his article in the Jewish publication, the Tablet. Here are a few examples identified in “1,443 Words of (Mostly) Balderdash”:

1. Friess writes “Herskovitz, for his part, first called on Beth Israel to denounce Israel’s existence, and now promises they’ll stand down if Dobrusin removes the Israeli flag from the sanctuary.”

Not true, Steve. I have neither first called on Beth Israel to denounce the Jewish state’s existence, nor have I ever made that demand. While I personally believe “Israel” has no right to exist (can anyone defend Netanyahu’s claim?), it was made clear that JWPF will terminate the vigils if Beth Israel works towards – among other demands by Palestinian civil society – returning displaced Palestinians to their homes, a human right enshrined in the International Declaration of Human Rights.

2. Friess: “protesters … wave doctored Israeli flags, with red lines crossing out the Star of David in the middle, and solicit honks from passing motorists.”

We all know what eternal victims Jews claim to be, but this statement from Friess really distorts the truth. The truth is that JWPF has become (June, 2012) an anti-Israel peace group, and have decided to express that statement via the graphic, internationally recognized “NO” sign placed over the Israel FLAG. We had no input in the design of the Jewish state’s flag which happens to have the hexagram centered on it. Had the flag’s creators decided upon a Christian cross to be placed there, our international “NO” circle would have slashed through that as well.

3. Friess: “Such commentary [my offerings to explain why Jews were feared and hated in WWII Europe – HH], while historically suspect and abhorrent to most Jews, has made Herskovitz a celebrity of the anti-Israel fringe.”

PeaceMonger really goes after this false accusation and provides us with at least eight sources showing that my brief history lesson was more accurate than “suspect”:

Now, let’s sum up what we have learned in this … section. Contra Friess, there is nothing “suspect” about Herskovitz’s “commentary” about attempting to understand the rational basis for German antipathy to Jews. This is not to excuse the irrational imputation of collective guilt to all Jews qua Jews but to point out that there is evidence that Jews, a tiny minority, exercised disproportionate power in Russia, Germany, and elsewhere. Jews used power in their perceived self-interest and in a manner which alienated and angered members of the majority populations of these countries. Jews may find this truth “abhorrent” but they do no one, least of all themselves, any favors by refusing to wrestle with it.

Please spend the time to review Friess’ gaffes and distortions by reading the full entry on the ZionistsOut blog. The comments serve as excellent instruction in the science of exposing Jewish Hasbara.

Venue Found for Discussion of Jewish Power Friday (9/27)

As reported last week, Dan McGowan and Paul Eisen, co-directors of Deir Yassin Remembered, will be in Ann Arbor to discuss the sometimes corrosive influence Jews in leadership positions in the Palestine peace movement wield. A list of those who’ve expressed interest in our topic has been created, and those people invited. Readers of this report who have not been contacted, but would like to attend this meeting should contact this writer by Friday afternoon.

President Obama Draws the Line; Will Jewish Activists Respond?

US President Barack Obama, the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, addressed the United Nations General Assembly this week and perhaps gave away his hand. The following paragraph is lifted from Israel Hayom (Israel Today) a relatively new Israeli newspaper:

Obama reiterated that his administration is “determined to resolve a conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. I have made clear that the United States will never compromise our commitment to Israel’s security, nor our support for its existence as a Jewish state … the state of Israel is here to stay.”

We note with some curiosity that he did not say “the state of Japan is here to stay”, or “the state of South Korea is here to stay”. We wonder why he would single out the Jewish Apartheid state for such an unwarranted and strange expression, and we conclude that he recognizes Israel’s vulnerability and asks the world to “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”.

Israel’s existence – its own Declaration of Statehood self-defines as a Jewish state – is indeed the core issue that is begging to be addressed. All other atrocities, walls, white phosphorus bombings, attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque this week, stem from this basic assertion: that Israel claims a “right” to exist as a Jewish state. Seems like President Obama has bought in …

So which group, other than Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends, will stand up and ask “Mr. President, we respectfully question Israel’s existence despite your assurance that it is ‘here to stay’. On what moral basis do you support Jewish supremacism in Palestine? By what right can Israel claim to exist, as you say, ‘as a Jewish state’?”

Will Jewish Voice for Peace ask these questions of the President? Will Code Pink be the second to ask? What about the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network? Will the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation step up? There’s a London based peace group, Jews for Justice for Palestinians. Will they offer up a foreign Jewish voice to question Mr. Obama?

The President has set the stage. Who will walk upon it?

Comments?

Note: there was no Vigil Report for 09-14-13, but there were 13 vigilers
8 vigilers on 09-21-13
Remember Deir Yassin
Henry Herskovitz
Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends
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